Stovetop lasagna with harissa lamb
All of the lasagna and none of the layering. The noodles go in broken and the oven never comes on.
At a Glance
Story
Lamb tastes like lamb largely because of its fat, which carries a family of branched-chain fatty acids that beef fat has far less of. That is the case for keeping some of the drippings rather than pouring them all away. A tablespoon is plenty to soften the onion and fry the harissa, and it carries the lamb through every noodle. Keep much more and the skillet turns greasy.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1 tsp kosher saltdivided
- ¾ tsp black pepperdivided
- 1 yellow onionfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
- 3 garlic clovessliced
- 6 cup spinachfresh leaves
- 1 lb dried lasagna sheetsbroken into 1- to 2-inch pieces
- 3 cup marinarafrom a jar (a plain one)
- 2 cup chicken stock
- 1 ¼ cup whole-milk ricotta
- ½ cup Parmesanfinely grated, plus more to serve (about ¾ oz)
- flat-leaf parsleychopped, to finish
Method
Lasagna usually means boiling sheets, building layers and waiting on an oven. This one is broken noodles simmered straight in the sauce in one big skillet, and it comes out tasting like the real thing with a bit more swagger, because the meat is lamb and the heat is harissa.
You need a deep skillet, 12 to 14 inches, with a lid. No lid? A sheet pan laid over the top does the same job.
- Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the lamb with ½ tsp of the salt and ½ tsp of the pepper, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until the fat has rendered and the meat is browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Lift the lamb into a bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Spoon off and discard all but 1 tbsp of the drippings.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, harissa, garlic and the remaining ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach until it just wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Then stir in the broken noodles, marinara, stock and the lamb. It is fine if some of the noodles are not quite under the liquid.
- Bring it to a simmer over high heat, then turn it down to medium-low, cover and cook until the pasta is al dente and most of the sauce has been drunk up, 20 to 25 minutes. Give it one good stir after 10 minutes so nothing welds itself to the bottom.
- Dollop the ricotta over the top and scatter on the Parmesan. Cover again and cook over medium-low until the cheese is hot and melted, about 5 minutes. Finish with parsley and more Parmesan.
Serve it from the pan, with a big green salad and garlic bread.
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